Continuously moving apparatus for uprighting bottles

ABSTRACT

Bottles in a hopper are picked by a flight bar conveyor and delivered between a pair of conveyor belts spaced apart to grip the bottles and convey them past orienting fixtures which erect the bottles while held between the belts. The flight bars are cantilevered and pass laterally between the conveyor belts to deliver bottles in a generally horizontal position, and the tops of the belts are spaced apart to form a V-shaped opening of decreasing size where the flight bars pass between the belts.

United States Patent Robert J. Krooss I [72] inventor Mountain Lakes,NJ.

D A 3 3 l 8 9 ma "k "0 r e h m W w m 3 i w 8 W m m E 6 n 0 a O m J P mu99 1 7 0 mus v uo 4JN o d N m L n wwm a AFP 1]] 25 224 [llAttorney-Pennie, Edmonds, Morton, Taylor and Adams [73] Assignee PacePackagingCorporation FairiieltLNJ.

ABSTRACT: Bottles in a hopper are picked by a flight bar conveyor anddelivered between a pair of conveyor belts [54] CONTINUOUSLY MOVINGAPPARATUS FOR spaced apart to grip the bottles and convey them pastorient- UPRIGHTING BOTTLES 21 Claims, 25 Drawing Figs.

ing fixtures which erect the bottles while held between the belts. Theflight bars are cantilevered and pass laterally between the conveyorbelts to deliver bottles in a generally horizontal position, and thetops of the belts are spaced apart to form a V-shaped opening ofdecreasing size where the flight bars pass between the belts.

FIG. 3

PAIENTEDNBV 30M 4 3,624,773

SHEEI UlUF 10 FIG. 1

lNV ENTOR Robert J. Krooss ATTORNEY S PATENTEBunv 30 I97! 3, 624, 773

SHEET 02 [1F 10 mvsm-on Robert J. Krooss ATTORNEYS PATENTEBunv 30 Ian 3,524, 773

sum on HF 10 INVENTOR Robert J. Krooss ATTORNEYS PATENTEB 30 SHEET near10 FIG. 17

INVENTOR Robert J. Krooss 4.... daz-ta filq ATTORNEYS PATENTEDNBV 30SHEET lUUF 1O INVENTOR Robert J. Krooss a. fw 'nk ATTORNEYS CONTINUOUSLYMOVING APPARATUS FOR UPRIGHTING BOTTLES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONPlastic bottles are now in widespread use and commonly require somemeans for erecting the bottles with their necks up and conveying them toa filling position. The shape of the bottles may vary widely, andconsequently it is desirable to employ apparatus which can be readilyadapted to handle different shapes.

The present invention is directed to apparatus capable of receivingbottles in a hopper with random orientation. and delivering them in aneck-up condition to an output conveyor, in a reliable manner. Orientingfixtures are employed which can readily be changed to suit bottles andthe like of diflerent size and shapes.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the invention, a pairof conveyor belts are spaced apart to grip and convey bottles deliveredtherebetween, and conveyor means is provided for delivering bottleslaterally between the belts with their longitudinal axes extendinggenerally in the direction of travel of the belts but with the necksthereof indiscriminately leading or trailing. An inclined guide isprovided between the belts downstream of the region of delivery of thebottles for guiding the bottles laterally of the belts to approximatelythe same lateral level. Fixtures are positioned between the beltsdownstream of the inclined guide for orienting the bottles while grippedby the belts so that the necks of the bottles extend in the same generaldirection relative to the belts.

In the apparatus specifically described hereinafter, the conveyor beltsmove generally horizontally in side-by-side, generally vertical, planes.The conveyor includes an endless chain of flight bars supported near oneend thereof to form cantilevered flight bars. The conveyor has an upwardflight positioned to receive bottles from a hopper and carry themupwards between successive flight bars, and a downward flight passingbetween the conveyor belts in a direction transversely thereof. As theflight bars pass between the conveyor belts, the bottles are gripped bythe belts and carried past the open ends of the bars. Advantageously thetops of the conveyor belts are spread apart to form a V-shaped openingat the flight bars which gradually decreases in the direction of travelof the belts. This insures that there will be some spacing of thebottles along the conveyor belts, even though several bottles may liebetween a given pair of flight bars and even though the necks mayoverlap.

As the bottles are conveyed away from the flight bars, an inclined guidemoves all bottles, whether neck-leading or neck-trailing, toapproximately the same lateral level of the belt, preferably either atthe top of the belts or at the bottom thereof. The orienting fixturesare positioned between the belts downstream of the inclined guide. Asspecifically disclosed, the fixtures first orient the bottles so thatall bottles are neck-trailing, regardless of their initial orientation,and then the bottles are turned to an upright position. In order toprevent interference between bottles during the reorientation, anescapement wheel is positioned in the path of travel of the bottles fromthe inclined guide arid has a peripheral speed substantially lower thanthat of the conveyor belts. AFter the bottles have been properlyoriented with their necks up, they are transferred to a lower speedconveyor for subsequent filling, etc.

Particular orienting fixtures are provided which are suitable for a widevariety of bottle shapes and sizes.

Throughout the operation the bottles are positively supported, andduring the reorientation they are held firmly between the conveyorbelts. Both the conveyor belts and the initial flight bar conveyor canmove continuously, thereby avoiding timing and other problems associatedwith intermittent motions.

LII

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a general view of apparatusin accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross section of the hopper and flight conveyor;

FIG. 3 is a detail of the flight bar mounting arrangement;

FIG. 4 is a detail showing the flight bar oscillating arrangement;

FIG. 5 shows the outlet portion of the flight conveyor with coverremoved, and the inlet portion of the orienting section;

FIG. 6 is a detail of the outlet portion of the flight conveyor, withcover removed;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the inlet portion of the orienting section.with top removed;

FIG. 8 is an elevation of the inlet portion of the orienting sectionwith a portion of the belt broken away;

FIGS. 9, l0 and 11 are cross sections taken along the lines 9-9, 10 10and 11-11 of FIG. 7;

FIGS. 12-17 are views of the orienting section with one side removed,illustrating one type of orienting fixtures and their operation withneck-leading and neck-trailing bottles;

FIGS. 18 and 19 show a difierent arrangement of orienting fixtures andtheir operation with neck-leading and neck-trailing bottles;

FIGS. 20 and 21 are elevation and sectional views of a portion of theorienting fixtures of FIGS. 18 and 19, FIG. 21 being taken along theline 21-21 of FIG. 20; and

FIGS. 22 and 23a-23c show a modification of the fixtures of FIGS. 20 and21.

Referring to FIGS. l6, a supply of bottles is dumped into hopper 10 withrandom orientations. Although the apparatus can be adapted to handlebottles of many different shapes, the bottles here shown have an ovalbody and round neck, with the smaller dimension of the oval at thebottom slightly greater than the maximum diameter at the top.

Hopper 10 is open at the bottom and back to a flight conveyor havingflight bars 11. The flight bars are mounted in a cantilever manner onconveyor chains 12, 12 (FIG. 4) which pass over a pair of sprockets 13at the top, a pair of driving sprockets 14 at the bottom, and a pair ofsprockets 15. Only one sprocket of each pair appears in the drawings.Driving sprockets 14 are driven by a motor, generally indicated as 16.Behind the flight bars 11 is an endless chain of slats 17 carried by apair of sprockets 18 at the top, and a pair of sprockets 19 at thebottom (only one shown). The two pairs of sprockets 13 and 18 at the topare affixed to axle 20 so that the endless chains of flight bars 11 andof slots 17 move at the same speed.

As shown in FIG. 3, each flight bar 11 has a bracket extension 21 whichis rotatably mounted on a bracket 22. Bracket 22 is attached to thelinks of chains 12, 12' by angle members 23, 23'. To allow convenientmounting and demounting of the flight bars, bracket extension 21 ispivoted to bracket 22 by a long-threaded rod 24 and a short rod 25. Theshort rod 25 is attached to the end of spring 26. Pairs of locknuts 27and 28 maintain spring 26 in compression. To remove the flight bar, pin25 is pushed inwards until it clears the hole in extension 21 in whichit seats.

The flight bars 11, and the slats 17 behind the openings between theflight bars, form elongated pockets to receive bottles from hopper 10.As the flight bars move upward, bottles lodge therebetween and arecarried upwards. The flight bars may be provided with bent tongues 11,to aid in holding bottles in the pockets. Some bottles will lodgeflatwise against the slats 17. as indicated at 31a. Others, such asindicated at 31b, are not properly lodged, and fall off as the flightbars ascend on their upward flight. Inasmuch as slats 17 move with theflight bars, any abrasion of the bottles as they travel upwards isavoided.

To further insure that the oval bottles will lie properly in the spacesbetween flight bars 11, the flight bars are oscillated as they near thetop of their upward flight, so as to shake off bottles which are notsecurely seated and held in place by the tongues 11'. FIG. 4 shows theoscillating means. Near the top of the upward travel of the flight barchain 12 is a cam bar 33 having one or more indentations 33. Each flightbar extension 21 has a projecting rod 34 attached thereto which rides onthe cam bar 33. As the flight bars travel upwards, when rods 34 reachindentations 33, the extensions 21 and associated flight bars are titledby the force of gravity so that they shake off any improperly seatedbottles. If desired, the cam bar 33 may be replaced by a slotted bar inwhich pins 34 travel, so as to provide a positive oscillation ratherthan relying upon an offset center of gravity.

After the flight bars and bottles pass over the top of sprockets 18 thedownward flight of the assemblage travels vertically to the orientingsection. Inner and outer guide plates 35 and 35' hold the bottlesbetween the flight bars during their downward travel. With oval bottlesthe separation of guide plates 35, 35' is only slightly greater than thesmaller oval dimension of the bottles. The endless chain of slats l7separates from the flight bars on the downward flight and returnsdirectly to sprocket 19 so as not to interfere with removal of thebottles in the orienting section.

In FIGS. and 6, the front guide plate 35' has been removed, and it willbe seen that bottles 31 travel downwards with their longitudinal axesextending generally horizontally. The number of bottles between adjacentflight bars 11 may vary, and some spaces may be empty. Also, the bottlesmay have their necks toward the left or toward the right.

As the flight bars and bottles travel downwards, they pass between apair of conveyor belts 41, 41' which travel generally horizontally inside-by-side, generally vertical, planes, and are spaced apart to gripand convey bottles delivered therebetween. The belts and their mountingand driving members are supported on frame structures 40 and 40'. Thelatter can be moved outwards to change the separation between conveyorbelts 41 and 41' so as to accommodate bottles of different sizes, andalso to facilitate changing the orienting fixtures as mentionedhereafter. In FIG. 5 the frame structure 40 has been moved outward fromits operating position to facilitate illustration.

Belts 41, 41' travel on rollers 42, 42' (FIG. 7) and similar pairs ofrollers at the other end, one of which is shown at 42" in FIG. 16. Therollers are driven simultaneously in opposite directions, so that belts41, 41' move simultaneously as indicated by the arrows 50 in FIG. 7. Thebelts may be driven by motor 16 (FIG. 2) through suitable gears, shafts,belts, etc. which may follow conventional practices, and hence are notshown in detail. Or, a separate motor (not shown) may be employed todrive the belts.

In order to separate the bottles longitudinally of belts 41, 41',particularly if their necks overlap as they travel downwards on theflight bars, the upper portions of the belts are arranged to provide aV-shaped opening of decreasing size from inlet to outlet portionsthereof in the region of the flight bars. Referring to FIGS. 7-11, apair of fixed guide plates 43, 43' are positioned to extendlongitudinally approximately the length of the flight bars. Theseparation of the plates is such as to establish a belt separationslightly less than the width of the bottles so as to grip the bottles asthey are brought therebetween. The top edges 44, 44' of the guideplatesare inclined upwards in the direction of travel of the belts The spacingof the rollers 42, 42 is greater than that of plates 43, 43'.Consequently, as the belts reach the inlet ends of plates 43, as shownby the cross section in FIG. 9, the upper portions of the belts inclineoutwards to form a V-shaped section. A bottle delivered by the flightconveyor in this region will travel downwards until, its center reachesapproximately the upper edges 44, 44' of plates 43, 43' before it isgripped by the belts, as indicated by bottle 31-1. Near the center ofplates 43, as illustrated in FIG. 10, the V is shallower so that abottle 31-2 will be gripped by the belts at a higher level than in FIG.9. Similarly, near the outlet end the plates 43, 43' are the full heightof the belt, as illustrated in FIG. 1,, and the bottle 31-3 will begripped as it reaches the upper edges of the belts.

Overall, bottles traveling downwards on the flight conveyor near thefree ends of the cantilevered flight bars 11 will be gripped by sidebelts 41, 41 more quickly than bottles travelling downwards near thecenter or rearward portions of the flight bars. This will then establisha horizontal separation between the bottles, even though they mayinitially somewhat overlap. As bottles 31-1 and 31-2 travel toward thefree ends of flight bars 11, they will be forced downward by the flightbars above the bottles. It will therefore be understood that bottlespassing by the free ends of the flight bars may be positioned variouslyfrom the top of the belts down toward the bottom of belts. The relativespeeds of the flight bar conveyor and the belts 41, 41 are selected sothat bottles issue from the free ends before they are forced below thebelts.

Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 12, a ramp fixture 51 is positioned betweenbelts 41, 41 and is inclined upwards from below the belts so that allbottles removed from the flight bars will be forced upwards to the topof the ramp, indicated at 52, and will be at approximately the samelevel for subsequent reorienting. As indicated in FIG. 12, under certaincircumstances the bottles may be quite close to each other. For example,the space between two adjacent flight bars 11 may be filled withbottles, and the V-opening may not provide adequate separation. In orderto facilitate reorientation, it is desirable to have a sufficientinterval between bottles so they will not interfere with each other.Accordingly, an escapement wheel 53 is provided whose peripheralvelocity is substantially less than the velocity of the side belts. Theseparation of the escapement wheel from the opposite wall (removed inFIG. 12) is slightly less than the width of the bottle. Therefore eachbottle is pinched between the wheel and the wall so that it passes bythe wheel at a lower speed than that of the side belts. Consequently aleading bottle as indicated by 31c, after passing by escapement wheel53, will be carried a substantial distance horizontally by the sidebelts before a subsequent bottle indicated by 31d passes the escapementwheel. To reduce the pinching force required to be exerted on the bottleby the escapement wheel to overcome the gripping force of the belts, thetop 52 of the ramp may be high enough so that the bottles ride on theedges of the belt as they reach the wheel 53, or are only weakly grippedby the belts. Guide 54 provides a top constraint for the bottles.

The peripheral velocity of the escapement wheel 53 is sufficiently high,with respect to the vertical speed of the flight bars 11, so that allbottles delivered by a given pair of flight bars are fed past theescapement wheel by the time the next group of bottles are deliveredthereto.

As a bottle passes by the escapement wheel, it is forced downwardbetween the belts by the downwardly curved portion 54 of guide 54, sothat it is again gripped between the belts while it is being reoriented.

Suitable orienting fixtures are positioned between the side belts in thepath of travel of the bottles so as eventually to orient them in thesame direction, that is, with all neck-leading or all neck-trailing, andthen turn them upright. In the embodiment here described, orientingfixtures are selected so that the necks trail before uprighting them. Itwill be understood that the orienting fixtures will depend on the shapeof the bottles, and may depart from the particular arrangement shown.

Referring to FIG. 13, a neck-leading bottle 31e has its neck forceddownwards by slanting guide 55 and further forced downwards by slantingguide 56 so that the neck extends laterally of the belts and the bottleslides along the guide, as indicated at 31f, and travels past guide 56generally as indicated at 31g. The bottle specifically shown is thickestat the bottom,

thereby allowing the turning as depicted. As will be noted,

guides 55 and 56 are inclined at obtuse angles to the direction of belttravel.

FIGS. 14 and 15 show the effect of guides 55 and 56 on a bottom-leadingbottle, and it will be observed that the general orientation afterpassing guide 56 is similar to that shown in FIG. 13, as indicatedlikewise by 31g. the exact effect of the guides depends on theorientation and height of the bottles as they reach guide 55. In someinstances they pivot about the bottom of guide 55 through a sufficientangle so that they reach guide 56 somewhat sideways in much the samemanner as shown in FIG. 13, and they slide down guide 56 as depicted inFIG. 14. In other instances they may not be rotated through as large anangle by guide 55, and reach guide 56 bottom foremost and then slidedown the guide as depicted in FIG. 15. In such case they will pivotabout the bottom of guide 56. In some cases it may be feasible to omitguide 55.

The final orientation is much the same in FIGS. 13-15, namely, a bottlecarried along by the belts with its longitudinal axis more or lessvertical and its neck down. Throughout this reorientation the bottlesare gripped between the belts 41, 41. It will be understood that theseveral positions shown in FIGS. 13-15 are illustrative only, and thatvariations occur in practice. For successful operation it suffices thatthe bottles hang generally neck downwards as they reach the nextfixture.

Referring to FIG. 16, the neck-downward bottles are carried along by thebelts until they reach a ramp guide 57 which engages the bottle belowthe point at which it is gripped by the belts. Consequently, the bottleis pulled onto and along the ramp to the position shown at 3111. At theend of ramp 57 is a vertical abutment 58 which arrests movement of thelower edge of the bottom of the bottle. Abutment 58 is positioned belowthe point at which the belts grip the bottle, so that the bottlefulcrums about abutment 58 in a direction shown by arrow 59.Consequently, the bottle will assume a generally upright position as itpasses abutment 58.

For many applications it is desirable to deliver the reoriented bottlesto a conveyor moving at a substantially lower speed than the side belts41, 41'. Referring to FIG. 16, a series of narrow intermediate belts 61are provided which move at the same speed as belts 41, 41 Interleavedwith belts 61 is a series of relatively slowly moving belts 62. A bottomconveyor belt 63, traveling at the same speed as belts 62, slopesupwardly until it reaches a desired level as indicated at 63' in FIG.17. Belts 61 grip the upright bottles as they reach the end of belts 41,41' and, since they are interleaved with belts 62 which likewise gripthe sides of the bottle, the bottles very quickly slow to the speed ofbelts 62.

Inasmuch as the top halves of the bottles have a somewhat smaller widththan the bottoms, the top halves are not gripped as firmly and there isa tendency for the bottles to pitch forward as they are suddenly slowedby belts 62. Accordingly, a guide 64 is positioned so that it touchesthe top of a bottle passing thereby and tilts the bottle slightlybackward as indicated at 31 As the bottles reach the horizontal portion63' of the conveyor they are traveling sufficiently slowly so that theside belts are no longer necessary. The conveyor 63 is ex tended asdesired for filling the bottles and subsequent packaging.

FIGS. 18 and 19 show a different set of orienting fixtures. Here thebottle is generally similar to the preceding ones, but differs in thatthe smaller oval dimension is greatest at about the middle of the bodyportion, and slightly greater than at the bottom. A ramp fixture 71 hasan opposite inclination to ramp 51 in FIG. 12, and forces all bottlesdown toward the lower edge of belts 41, 41' to a common level whichleaves the bottles gripped by the belts.

The bottles then slide up ramp 72 to a generally horizontal section 72'.At the end of section 72 is a fixture 73 shown in more detail in FIGS.and 21. The fixture has two sides 74, 74 spaced apart sufficiently toaccommodate the threaded neck of bottle 70, but to obstruct the flaredneck section or shoulder 70 of the bottle. A pin 75 is positioneddownstream of the leading edges of sides 74, 74' and spaced intermediateof the sides so as to engage the neck of a neck-leading bottle. Theheight of the fixture is such that at least a portion of the bottle isgripped above the fixture so as to produce a turning force therearound.Also, for neck-leading bottles it is desirable to keep the neck down onsection 72' of the ramp. They may be accomplished by using a frictionsurface on section 72.

As seen in FIG. 18, as a neck-leading bottle a reaches fixture 73, itfulcrums around the fixture, the pin entering the neck of the bottle asit swings so that the bottom of the bottle is considerably forward ofthe neck when it has passed the fixture, as shown at 70b, the bottleturning through an angle substantially greater than say about Thus, whenthe bottle reaches the downwardly sloping ramp 76, its bottom slidesdown the ramp until it reaches ramp 77, whereupon it will be drawn upthe ramp to the position shown at 70c. The leading edge 77 of ramp 77 isoutside the path of travel of the bases of the bottles but engageslaterally extending bottles toward the necks thereof so that suchbottles will travel forward with their bases leading.

For a bottom-leading bottle as shown in FIG. 19, when it reaches fixture73 it slides upward and reaches a generally upright position shown at70d, the bottle turning through a smaller angle than a neck-leadingbottle, say about 90. When it reaches ramp 76, the ramp engages the sideof the bottle and forces it downwards until it reaches ramp 77,whereupon it is drawn up the ramp to reach position 70c, the same as inFIG. 18. An abutment 78 causes the bottles to pivot until they areupright, as indicated at 70e, and they then pass to belts 61, 62 and 63as in FIG. 16.

FIG. 22 shows a modification of the fixture 73 of FIGS. 18-21. Here aU-shaped fixture 80 has side portions 81, 81' functioning like sideportions 74, 74' of fixture 73. Instead of a pin, fixture 80 has adownstream portion 82 spaced intermediate of the side portions. As shownin FIGS. 23a-23c, as a neck-leading bottle reaches the fixture, theshoulder of the bottle engages the leading edges of the side portionsand the bottle starts rotating. The neck of the bottle enters the spacebetween the side portions and, upon further travel, abuts against thedownstream portion 82 so that further rotation occurs. For neck-trailingbottles, the action is similar to that of fixture 73.

The orienting fixtures of FIGS. 13-15 have been found very satisfactoryfor oval bottles which are thicker at or near the base than near theneck, so that the center of grip by the belts is near the base. They mayalso be useful for bottles having a small region near the neck ofapproximately the same thickness as near the base, since the greatergripping area near the base will predominate. That is, the center ofmajor grip is still near the base.

The orienting fixtures of FIGS. 18-23 may also be used with bottles inwhich the center of major grip is near the base and where the bottleshave an adequately defined shoulder with a neck extending therefrom.However, the fixtures occupy a greater length of belt travel. They mayalso be useful for bottles where the center of major grip is fartherfrom the base, and for generally cylindrical bottles.

If desired, the ramp 57 in FIG. 16 may be extended to the right anddownward, like ramp 77 in FIG. 18, to assure that bottles passing thelower edge of ramp 56 will be drawn forward with their bases leading.

As will be evident from the foregoing description, only continuousmotion mechanisms are involved in initially removing bottles from thehopper 10 and eventually delivering them upright to the output conveyor63, ready for filling, labelling, etc.

To take care of bottles of different size and shape, the flight bars 11can readily be removed and replaced by the proper size bars to suit theparticular bottle being handled. The outer frame 40' may be adjusted tosuit the thickness of the bottle so that it is properly gripped andcarried along. The orienting fixtures may be adapted to the particularsize and shape of the bottle. To facilitate changing the fixtures, upperand lower sideplates of the frame 40 may be perforated and the fixturesarranged to be bolted thereto in the desired positions. Inasmuch as theorienting section is open at the bottom, adequate room is provided forreorienting different size bottles without major structural changes.

The invention has been described in connection with specific embodimentsthereof. It will be understood that modifications may be made to suitthe particular application,

and that some features may be employed and other omitted as meets thejudgement of the designer, within the spirit and scope of the inventionas defined in the claims.

lclaim:

1. Apparatus for handling bottles and the like comprising a. a pair ofconveyor belts spaced apart to grip and convey bottles deliveredtherebetween.

b. conveyor means for delivering bottles laterally between said beltswith their longitudinal axes extending generally in the direction oftravel of said belts but with the necks thereof indiscriminately leadingor trailing,

c. an inclined guide between said belts downstream of the region ofdelivery of said bottles for guiding bottles laterally of the belts toapproximately the same lateral level,

d. and fixtures positioned between said belts downstream of saidinclined guide for orienting said bottles while gripped by said belts sothat the necks thereof extend in the same general direction relative tothe belts.

2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which said conveyor meansincludes an endless chain of flight bars supported near one end thereofto form cantilevered flight bars, said cantilevered flight bars passingbetween said conveyor belts in a direction transverse to the directionof travel of the belts, the direction of travel of said conveyor beltsbeing toward the open ends of said cantilevered flight bars wherebybottles between adjacent flight bars are gripped by the conveyor beltsand carried past the open ends of the cantilevered bars.

3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 2 including means for producing agenerally V-shaped opening of the sides of said conveyor belts whichreceive the bottles from said flight bars, said V-shaped openingdecreasing in size toward the open ends of said flight bars.

4. Apparatus for handling bottles and the like comprising a. a pair ofconveyor belts moving generally horizontally in side-by-side generallyvertical planes and spaced apart to grip and convey bottles deliveredtherebetween,

a hopper for receiving bottles,

. a conveyor including an endless chain of flight bars sup ported nearone end thereof to form cantilevered flight bars,

d. said conveyor having an upward flight positioned to receive bottlesin said hopper and carry them upwards between successive flight bars andhaving a downward flight passing between said conveyor belts in adirection transversely thereof, the direction of travel of said beltsbeing toward the open ends of said cantilevered flight bars wherebybottles between the flight bars are gripped by the belts and carriedpast the open ends of the flight bars with their longitudinal axesextending generally horizontally but with the necks thereofindiscriminately leading or trailing,

f. an inclined guide between said belts downstream of said conveyor forguiding bottles laterally of the belts to approximately the same laterallevel,

g. and orienting fixtures positioned between said belts downstream ofsaid inclined guide for orienting said bottles while gripped by saidbelts so that the necks thereof extend in the same general directionrelative to the belts.

5. Apparatus in accordance with claim 4 including means for oscillatingsaid flight bars during the upward flight thereof to shake off bottleswhich are insecurely lodged between the flight bars.

6. Apparatus in accordance with claim 4 including stationary inner andouter guides between which the flight bars pass during said downwardflight for guiding bottles toward said belts.

7. Apparatus in accordance with claim 6 including an endless chain ofslats mounted behind the openings between successive flight bars duringsaid upward flight and moving therewith to provide elongated pockets forreceiving bottles, the path of travel of said chain of slats separatingfrom the path of travel of the flight bars above said conveyor belts onsaid downward flight. v

8. Apparatus in accordance with claim 4 including means for advancingsaid conveyor belts toward said flight bars with a spacing substantiallygreater than the spacing required to grip said bottles, and a pair ofguide plates positioned outside the active stretches of said belts atsaid flight bars and spaced apart to establisha gripping engagement ofsaid belts with said bottles, said guide plates having top edgesinclined upwards in the direction of travel of the belts to thereby forma V-shaped opening of the tops of the belts which decreases in thedirection of travel of the belts.

9. Apparatus in accordance with claim 4 including an escapement wheelmounted in the path of travel of bottles downstream of said inclinedguide and having a peripheral speed substantially less than the speed ofsaid conveyor belts, said escapement wheel being positioned and adaptedto grip bottles with a force. greater than the gripping force exertedthereon by said belts, whereby bottles are conveyed to said orientingfixtures with at least a minimum spacing therebetween.

10. Apparatus in accordance with claim 9 including means for advancingsaid conveyor belts toward said flight bars with a spacing substantiallygreater than the spacing required to grip said bottles, and a pair ofguide plates positioned outside the active stretches of said belts atsaid flight bars and spaced apart to establish a gripping engagement ofsaid belts with said bottles, said guide plates having top edgesinclined upwards in the direction of travel of the belts to thereby forma V-shaped opening of the tops of the belts which decreases in thedirection of travel of the belts.

11. Apparatus in accordance with claim 4 in which said orientingfixtures orient said bottles in generally erect neck-up positions at theoutput and of the conveyor belts, and including a first pair of multiplestrand side belts positioned to receive and grip erect bottles from saidconveyor belts and moving at substantially the same speed, a second pairof multiple strand side belts interlaced with said first pair ofmultiple strand belts and moving at a substantially lower speed, abottom conveyor belt rising from a position below bottles grippedbetween said first pair of multiple strand side belts to a positionsupporting bottles conveyed between the second pair of multiple strandbelts and moving at said lower speed, and means for engaging the tops ofbottles on the rising portion of said bottom belt to tilt the bottlesslightly backward.

I2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 9 including an endless chain ofslats mounted behind the openings between successive flight bars duringsaid upward flight and moving therewith to provide elongated pockets forreceiving bottles, means for oscillating said flight bars during theupward flight thereof to shake off bottles which are insecurely lodgedin said elongated pockets, and stationary inner and outer guides betweenwhich the flight bars pass during said downward flight for guidingbottles toward said belts, the path of travel of said chain of slatsseparating from the path of travel of the flight bars above saidconveyor belts on said downward flight.

13. Apparatus in accordance with claim 12 in which said orientingfixtures orient said bottles in generally erect neck-up positions at theoutput end of the conveyor belts, and including a first pair of multiplestrand side belts positioned to receive and grip erect bottles from saidconveyor belts and moving at substantially the same speed, a second pairof multiple strand side belts interlaced with said first pair ofmultiple strand belts and moving at a substantially lower speed, abottom conveyor belt rising from a position below bottles grippedbetween said first pair of multiple strand side belts to a positionsupporting bottles conveyed between the second pair of multiple strandbelts and moving at said lower speed, and means for engaging the tops ofbottles on the rising portion of said bottom belt to tilt the bottlesslightly backward.

14. Apparatus in accordance with claim 8 for handling bottles and thelike having a shape such that, when gripped between said belts, thecenter of major grip is near the base thereof, said orienting fixturesincluding a. guide means in the path of travel of bottles passing saidinclined guide and extending partially across said belts,

b. said guide means having at least one guide inclined at an obtuseangle to the direction of belt travel,

c. said guide means being adapted to engage the necks of neck-leadingbottles and turn the bottles so that the necks thereof extend laterallyof the belts and the bottles slide along the guide means until they passthereby and to engage the bases of neck-trailing bottles and pivot thebottles so that the necks thereof extend laterally of the belts as thebottles pass thereby,

d. and further guide means downstream of the first-mentioned guide meanshaving a leading edge positioned to engage bottles toward the neck endof the center of major grip thereon and cause the bottles to travelforward with their bases leading,

e. said further guide means including means for directing the bottlesneck upward.

15. Apparatus for handling bottles and the like having a shape suchthat, when gripped between parallel belts, the center of major grip isnear the base thereof, said apparatus comprising a. a pair of conveyorbelts spaced apart in parallel face-toface relationship to grip andconvey bottles delivered therebetween,

b. means for delivering bottles between said belts in generallylongitudinal orientation in the direction of belt travel but with thenecks thereof indiscriminately leading or trailing,

guide means in the path of travel of bottles gripped between said beltsand extending partially across the belts,

d. said guide means having at least one guide inclined at an obtuseangle to the direction of belt travel,

e. said guide means being adapted to engage the necks of neck-leadingbottles and turn the bottles so that the necks thereof extend laterallyof the belts and the bottles slide along the guide means until they passthereby and to engage the bases of neck-trailing bottles and pivot thebottles so that the necks thereof extend laterally of the belts as thebottles pass thereby.

16. Apparatus in accordance with claim in which said conveyor belts movegenerally horizontally in generally vertical planes, and including a.further guide means downstream of the first-mentioned guide means havinga leading edge positioned to engage bottles toward the neck end of thecenter of major grip thereon and cause the bottles to travel forwardwith their bases leading,

b. said further guide means including means for erecting the bottlesneck upward.

17. Apparatus in accordance with claim 16 in which the firstmcntionedguide means is inclined forward from the tops of said belts toward thebottoms thereof, whereby bottles passing thereby are oriented neckdownward.

18. Apparatus in accordance with claim 8 for handling bottles and thelike having a neck extending from a shoulder thereof, said orientingfixtures including a fixture in the path of travel of bottles passingsaid inclined guide having side portions spaced apart more than thewidth of the neck of the bottle but less than the shoulder thereof and adownstream portion spaced intermediate of said side portions,

b. said fixture being dimensioned so that the necks of neckleadingbottles engage said downstream portion and such bottles are rotatedthrough an angle greater than as they pass by the fixture whereas thebases of neck-trailing bottles engage said side portions and suchbottles are rotated through a smaller angle than neck-leading bottles, aguide in the path of travel of bottles passing by said fixture extendingpartially across said belts and inclined at an obtuse angle to thedirection of belt travel so that bottles slide therealong with theirbases leading,

d. and further guide means having a leading edge outside the path oftravel of the bases of bottles passing by the first-mentioned guide forengaging the necks of aterally travel but with the necks thereofindiscriminately leading or trailing,

c. a fixture positioned in the path of travel of bottles gripped betweensaid belts having side portions spaced apart more than the width of theneck of the bottle but less than the shoulder thereof and a downstreamportion spaced intermediate of said side portions,

d. said fixture being dimensioned so that the necks of neckleadingbottles engage said downstream portion and such bottles are rotatedthrough an angle greater than 90 as they pass by the fixture whereas thebases of neck-trailing bottles engage said side portions and suchbottles are rotated through a smaller angle than neck-leading bottles,

e. a guide in the path of travel of bottles passing by said fixtureextending partially across said belts and inclined at an obtuse angle tothe direction of belt travel so that bottles slide therealong with theirbases leading,

f. and further guide means having a leading edge outside the path oftravel of the bases of bottles passing by the firstmentioned guide forengaging laterally extending bottles toward the necks thereof and causesuch bottles to travel forward with their bases leading.

20. Apparatus in accordance with claim 19 in which said downstreamportion of said fixture is a pin positioned to enter into the neck ofneck-leading bottles as such bottles rotate therearound.

21. Apparatus in accordance with claim 19 in which said conveyor beltsmove generally horizontally in generally vertical planes, said fixturebeing located toward the bottom of the belts and said guide beinginclined forward from the top of the belts toward the bottom thereof,and said further guide means includes means for erecting the bottlesneck upward.

Patent No.

Invcntor(s/) It is certified that error a and that said LctLcrs P Column1,

Column Column Column...

Column Column Column nntcd November 30,

Robert J. Krooss line line

line

line

line

line line titled" .TRACT, line 1, after "picked" ppczlrs in theabove-identified pa atcnL are hereby corrcc ted as shown below:

insert up should read sizes "AFter should read After slots FIG. lu

Column 5,

Column 8,

Column 9,

Column 10,

should read:

Signed (SEAL) line line

line ould should should should read "guide 64" should read fin aft-er"3lj with belt 63 traveling at the same speed as belts 6 he horizontalcomponent of belt 63 less and the backward tilt will be tilted read 11gar 64 FIG.

insert the 73, "They" should read This 58 (claim 18, lines 3 and 4),

read

line 10,

at Les t:

and

"and" (first occurrence should read "including a including a fixture..

(claim 18, line 9 from end) "a guide As to sting Officera guide in theoath sealed this 33m day of May 1972.

ROBERT GO'I'TSCHALK Commissionerof Patents Lcnt followinq sentence:

and

fixture.

1. Apparatus for handling bottles and the like comprising a. a pair ofconveyor belts spaced apart to grip and convey bottles deliveredtherebetween, b. conveyor means for delivering bottles laterally betweensaid belts with their longitudinal axes extending generally in thedirection of travel of said belts but with the necks thereofindiscriminately leading or trailing, c. an inclined guide between saidbelts downstream of the region of delivery of said bottles for guidingbottles laterally of the belts to approximately the same lateral level,d. and fixtures positioned between said belts downstream of saidinclined guide for orienting said bottles while gripped by said belts sothat the necks thereof extend in the same general direction relative tothe belts.
 2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which saidconveyor means includes an endless chain of flight bars supported nearone end thereof to form cantilevered flight bars, said cantileveredflight bars passing between said conveyor belts in a directiontransverse to the direction of travel of the belts, the direction oftravel of said conveyor belts being toward the open ends of saidcantilevered flight bars whereby bottles between adjacent flight barsare gripped by the conveyor belts and carried past the open ends of thecantilevered bars.
 3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 2 includingmeans for producing a generally V-shaped opening of the sides of saidconveyor belts which receive the bottles from said flight bars, saidV-shaped opening decreasing in size toward the open ends of said flightbars.
 4. Apparatus for handling bottles and the like comprising a. apair of conveyor belts moving generally horizontally in side-by-sidegenerally vertical planes and spaced apart to grip and convey bottlesdelivered therebetween, b. a hopper for receiving bottles, c. a conveyorincluding an endless chain of flight bars supported near one end thereofto form cantilevered flight bars, d. said conveyor having an upwardflight positioned to receive bottles in said hopper and carry themupwards between successive flight bars and having a downward flightpassing between said conveyor belts in a direction transversely thereof,e. the direction of travel of said belts being toward the open ends ofsaid cantilevered flight bars whereby bottles between the flight barsare gripped by the belts and carried past the open ends of the flightbars with their longitudinal axes extending generally horizontally butwith the necks thereof indiscriminately leading or trailing, f. aninclined guide between said belts downstream of said conveyor forguiding bottles laterally of the belts to approximately the same laterallevel, g. and orienting fixtures positioned between said beltsdownstream of said inclined guide for orienting said bottles whilegripped by said belts so that the necks thereof extend in the samegeneral direction relative to the belts.
 5. Apparatus in accordance withclaim 4 including means for oscillating said flight bars during theupward flight thereof to shake off bottles which are insecurely lodgedbetween the flight bars.
 6. Apparatus in accordance with claim 4including stationary inner and outer guides between which the flightbars pass during said downward flight for guiding bottles toward saidbelts.
 7. Apparatus in accordance with claim 6 including an endlesschain of slats mounted behind the openings between successive flightbars during said upward flight and moving therewith to provide elongatedpockets for receiving bottles, the path of travel of said chain of slatsseparating from the path of travel of the flight bars above saidconveyor belts on said downward flight.
 8. Apparatus in accordance withclaim 4 including means for advancing said conveyor belts toward saidflight bars with a spacing substantially greater than the spacingrequired to grip said bottles, and a pair of guide plates positionedoutside the active stretches of said belts at said flight bars andspaced apart to establish a gripping engagement of said belts with saidbottles, said guide plates having top edges inclined upwards in thedirection of travel of the belts to thereby form a V-shaped opening ofthe tops of the belts which decreases in the direction of travel of thebelts.
 9. Apparatus in accordance with claim 4 including an escapementwheel mounted in the path of travel of bottles downstream of saidinclined guide and having a peripheral speed substantially less than thespeed of said conveyor belts, said escapement wheel being positioned andadapted to grip bottles with a force greater than the gripping forceexerted thereon by said belts, whereby bottles are conveyed to saidorienting fixtures with at least a minimum spacing therebetween. 10.Apparatus in accordance with claim 9 including means for advancing saidconveyor belts toward said flight bars with a spacing substantiallygreater than the spacing required to grip said bottles, and a pair ofguide plates positioned outside the active stretches of said belts atsaid flight bars and spaced apart to establish a gripping engagement ofsaid belts with said bottles, said guidE plates having top edgesinclined upwards in the direction of travel of the belts to thereby forma V-shaped opening of the tops of the belts which decreases in thedirection of travel of the belts.
 11. Apparatus in accordance with claim4 in which said orienting fixtures orient said bottles in generallyerect neck-up positions at the output and of the conveyor belts, andincluding a first pair of multiple strand side belts positioned toreceive and grip erect bottles from said conveyor belts and moving atsubstantially the same speed, a second pair of multiple strand sidebelts interlaced with said first pair of multiple strand belts andmoving at a substantially lower speed, a bottom conveyor belt risingfrom a position below bottles gripped between said first pair ofmultiple strand side belts to a position supporting bottles conveyedbetween the second pair of multiple strand belts and moving at saidlower speed, and means for engaging the tops of bottles on the risingportion of said bottom belt to tilt the bottles slightly backward. 12.Apparatus in accordance with claim 9 including an endless chain of slatsmounted behind the openings between successive flight bars during saidupward flight and moving therewith to provide elongated pockets forreceiving bottles, means for oscillating said flight bars during theupward flight thereof to shake off bottles which are insecurely lodgedin said elongated pockets, and stationary inner and outer guides betweenwhich the flight bars pass during said downward flight for guidingbottles toward said belts, the path of travel of said chain of slatsseparating from the path of travel of the flight bars above saidconveyor belts on said downward flight.
 13. Apparatus in accordance withclaim 12 in which said orienting fixtures orient said bottles ingenerally erect neck-up positions at the output end of the conveyorbelts, and including a first pair of multiple strand side beltspositioned to receive and grip erect bottles from said conveyor beltsand moving at substantially the same speed, a second pair of multiplestrand side belts interlaced with said first pair of multiple strandbelts and moving at a substantially lower speed, a bottom conveyor beltrising from a position below bottles gripped between said first pair ofmultiple strand side belts to a position supporting bottles conveyedbetween the second pair of multiple strand belts and moving at saidlower speed, and means for engaging the tops of bottles on the risingportion of said bottom belt to tilt the bottles slightly backward. 14.Apparatus in accordance with claim 8 for handling bottles and the likehaving a shape such that, when gripped between said belts, the center ofmajor grip is near the base thereof, said orienting fixtures includinga. guide means in the path of travel of bottles passing said inclinedguide and extending partially across said belts, b. said guide meanshaving at least one guide inclined at an obtuse angle to the directionof belt travel, c. said guide means being adapted to engage the necks ofneck-leading bottles and turn the bottles so that the necks thereofextend laterally of the belts and the bottles slide along the guidemeans until they pass thereby and to engage the bases of neck-trailingbottles and pivot the bottles so that the necks thereof extend laterallyof the belts as the bottles pass thereby, d. and further guide meansdownstream of the first-mentioned guide means having a leading edgepositioned to engage bottles toward the neck end of the center of majorgrip thereon and cause the bottles to travel forward with their basesleading, e. said further guide means including means for directing thebottles neck upward.
 15. Apparatus for handling bottles and the likehaving a shape such that, when gripped between parallel belts, thecenter of major grip is near the base thereof, said apparatus comprisinga. a pair of conveyor belts spaced apart in parallel face-to-facerelationship to grip and convey bottles delivered therebetween, b. meansfor delivering bottles between said belts in generally longitudinalorientation in the direction of belt travel but with the necks thereofindiscriminately leading or trailing, c. guide means in the path oftravel of bottles gripped between said belts and extending partiallyacross the belts, d. said guide means having at least one guide inclinedat an obtuse angle to the direction of belt travel, e. said guide meansbeing adapted to engage the necks of neck-leading bottles and turn thebottles so that the necks thereof extend laterally of the belts and thebottles slide along the guide means until they pass thereby and toengage the bases of neck-trailing bottles and pivot the bottles so thatthe necks thereof extend laterally of the belts as the bottles passthereby.
 16. Apparatus in accordance with claim 15 in which saidconveyor belts move generally horizontally in generally vertical planes,and including a. further guide means downstream of the first-mentionedguide means having a leading edge positioned to engage bottles towardthe neck end of the center of major grip thereon and cause the bottlesto travel forward with their bases leading, b. said further guide meansincluding means for erecting the bottles neck upward.
 17. Apparatus inaccordance with claim 16 in which the first-mentioned guide means isinclined forward from the tops of said belts toward the bottoms thereof,whereby bottles passing thereby are oriented neck downward. 18.Apparatus in accordance with claim 8 for handling bottles and the likehaving a neck extending from a shoulder thereof, said orienting fixturesincluding a fixture in the path of travel of bottles passing saidinclined guide having side portions spaced apart more than the width ofthe neck of the bottle but less than the shoulder thereof and adownstream portion spaced intermediate of said side portions, b. saidfixture being dimensioned so that the necks of neck-leading bottlesengage said downstream portion and such bottles are rotated through anangle greater than 90* as they pass by the fixture whereas the bases ofneck-trailing bottles engage said side portions and such bottles arerotated through a smaller angle than neck-leading bottles, a guide inthe path of travel of bottles passing by said fixture extendingpartially across said belts and inclined at an obtuse angle to thedirection of belt travel so that bottles slide therealong with theirbases leading, d. and further guide means having a leading edge outsidethe path of travel of the bases of bottles passing by thefirst-mentioned guide for engaging the necks of laterally extendingbottles and cause such bottles to travel forward with their basesleading.
 19. Apparatus for handling bottles and the like having a neckextending from a shoulder thereof, said apparatus comprising a. a pairof conveyor belts spaced apart in parallel face-to-face relationship togrip and convey bottles delivered therebetween, b. means for deliveringbottles between said belts in generally longitudinal orientation in thedirection of belt travel but with the necks thereof indiscriminatelyleading or trailing, c. a fixture positioned in the path of travel ofbottles gripped between said belts having side portions spaced apartmore than the width of the neck of the bottle but less than the shoulderthereof and a downstream portion spaced intermediate of said sideportions, d. said fixture being dimensioned so that the necks ofneck-leading bottles engage said downstream portion and such bottles arerotated through an angle greater than 90* as they pass by the fixturewhereas the bases of neck-trailing bottles engage said side portions andsuch bottles are rotated through a smaller angle than neck-leadingbottles, e. a guide in the path of travel of bottles passing by saidfixture extending partially across said belts and inclined at an obTuseangle to the direction of belt travel so that bottles slide therealongwith their bases leading, f. and further guide means having a leadingedge outside the path of travel of the bases of bottles passing by thefirst-mentioned guide for engaging laterally extending bottles towardthe necks thereof and cause such bottles to travel forward with theirbases leading.
 20. Apparatus in accordance with claim 19 in which saiddownstream portion of said fixture is a pin positioned to enter into theneck of neck-leading bottles as such bottles rotate therearound. 21.Apparatus in accordance with claim 19 in which said conveyor belts movegenerally horizontally in generally vertical planes, said fixture beinglocated toward the bottom of the belts and said guide being inclinedforward from the top of the belts toward the bottom thereof, and saidfurther guide means includes means for erecting the bottles neck upward.